1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telecommunications, and in particular, to provisioning location capability information in a communication network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Location determination capabilities have become important to the operation of modern telecommunication networks. In the case of providing emergency services, such as servicing 911 calls, most carriers have a multitude of capabilities present in their networks for determining the location of a caller. Often times, which capability the carrier uses to locate a caller depends upon the location capabilities of the device used by the caller. For instance, some devices are enabled with global positioning system features, while other devices are not. Thus, a carrier is limited to using those capabilities in its network that are compatible with the device at issue. Unfortunately, a carrier network is often provisioned with unreliable information that can be used to correctly select a location determination capability.
FIG. 1 illustrates communication network 100 in an example of the prior art whereby crucial information could be misprovisioned. Communication network 100 includes caller 101 in communication with mobile switching center (MSC) 121 over backhaul network 111. Caller 101 is a mobile wireless caller. MSC 121 is operatively coupled to public safety answering point (PSAP) 141 and PSAP 151 over local network 112. MSC 121 is also operatively coupled to location provisioning system (LPS) 130, and in particular, to mobile positioning center (MPC) 132. MPC 132 is operatively coupled to mobile application provisioning system (MAPS) 134, position determining equipment (PDE) 133, and LPS gateway 135. PSAP 141 is operatively coupled to LPS gateway 135, as is PSAP 151.
In an operational example of the prior art, caller 101 could encounter a situation that requires an emergency service. Caller 101 could responsively place a 911 call to MSC 121. MSC 121 recognizes the call as requesting emergency services and initiates multiple call processes to handle the 911 call. One call process involves MSC 121 communicating via local network 112 with either PSAP 141 or PSAP 151 to setup the 911 call between caller 101 and the appropriate PSAP. For this example, it is assumed that PSAP 141 is the appropriate PSAP.
Another call process involves MSC 121 communicating with MPC 132 to initiate a location determination process in order to physically locate caller 101. MPC 132 communicates with PDE 133 to locate caller 101. A number of location applications could be utilized or executed by PDE 133 to locate caller 101, depending upon the positioning capabilities of the device used by caller 101. PDE 133 returns the location of caller 101 to MPC 132 for later distribution.
Eventually, MSC 121 connects the emergency call through to PSAP 141. As part of the call setup process, MSC 121 requests a key from MPC 132 that is used to track the call and correlate information on the call. MSC 121 forwards the key to PSAP 141 during call setup. PSAP 141 queries LPS gateway 135 with the key to obtain location information generated by the location determination processes initiated by MPC 132. LPS gateway 135 typically interfaces between multiple PSAPs and multiple MPCs.
In this example, LPS gateway 135 obtains the location of the caller from MPC 132 and returns the location information to PSAP 141. Emergency personnel can then be directed by PSAP 141 to the location of caller 101.
MPC 132 typically processes data structures that hold or store a list of devices, often times identified by a device identifier, along with various attributes of each device, such as the location or positioning determining capability or capabilities of each device. The data structures are often times in the form of call processing tables, database, or the like. Examples of positioning capabilities include global positioning system (GPS) capabilities, triangulation capabilities, or a hybrid combination of both capabilities.
When a location determination process is initiated, MPC 132 internally queries a device list to determine the positioning capabilities of the device for which a location is sought. Depending upon the capability of the device, MPC 132 instructs PDE 133 to seek the location accordingly. For example, if a device has GPS capabilities, MPC 132 instructs PDE 133 to utilize a GPS application to locate the device. If the device lacks GPS capabilities, but does have limited triangulation capabilities, MPC 132 instructs PDE 133 to locate the device utilizing triangulation techniques. Other location or positioning determining techniques or processes are known.
MAPS 134 is typically used as a provisioning system for the data structures processed by MPC 132 when determining the positioning capabilities of mobile devices. MPC 132 is programmed or otherwise configured to periodically access MAPS 134 to update internal data structures, such as those tables or databases holding device positioning capability information.
The data structures stored in MAPS 134 are typically data filled by human operators and therefore significant errors can exist within the data structures. In one problematic example, the device capability of a range of devices could be incorrectly input into a particular table or other such data structure stored in MAPS 134. As a result, incorrect data is frequently loaded into MPC 132 for use during location determination processes.